A – Z of Managing People

When I've asked; "What qualities does a good manager have?" hundreds of people  over the years have said that being approachable comes near the top of their list.

It's great to be up on the latest management theory and to have role models or mentors to show us the way, but at the end of the day we won't come across as genuine or authentic if we try to be someone we're not.

We all know what it is and we all know how to do it, but we've all seen it go wrong and lead to misunderstandings, mistakes and mistrust - making managing people much more difficult.

That Monday morning feeling can affect all of us, but hopefully we soon get over it and back into the swing of working productively with others.

Show people they're valued - this can be done in any way that's appropriate in your culture. Some organisations have 'employee of the month', or ask staff and customers to give positive feedback, or give staff rewards.

“What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: a, b, c, d, e and f? Feedback - one of the essential elements of good communication.”                                      

No, not the football or rugby kind of goals - but we all need something to aim for and usually there will be some difficulty in achieving it, as well as great excitement when we do.

The Oxford English Dictionary's primary definition of human resources is: "The personnel of a business or organisation, regarded as a significant asset in terms of skills and abilities".

Integrity is foundational to good management. Being who we say we are and doing what we say we will do goes a long way towards winning the trust and loyalty of those who work for us or do business with us.

We all associate that phrase with the sportswear giant, Nike, but one of the reasons it's been among the most successful tag lines ever is that it's good advice.

Do you ever feel like you're not making much progress, or it's one step forward and two steps back? Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that most of us feel like that sometimes.

Managing people successfully requires leadership skills in addition to the practical skills of planning, organising, monitoring and evaluating the work that takes place.

Obviously negative motivation can be a powerful driver to perform, such as: "If we don't get this contract the company is going under", though continual negative motivation will cause stress and tension within an organisation.

Have you ever found that talking to other people has given you new ideas, inspired you to keep going or given you an opportunity to discuss concerns? If you're like me, the answer to that question is a definite "yes".

It would be great if life always went smoothly, everything according to plan, but we all know that it doesn't. How do we deal with the problems that come along?

It comes down to a balancing act between the task we need to achieve and the team we need to achieve it through. If we pay too much attention to the task and not enough to the team, the task will not be achieved in the way we want it to be.

Albert Einstein said; “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the answer, I would spend the first 55 minutes figuring out the proper questions to ask. For if I knew the proper questions, I could solve the problem in less than 5 minutes. Question everything”

Following on from my last post, Q is for Question Everything, once we've found the solution to a problem and implemented it we should always review what happened and reflect on what we've learned from the process; not to assign blame, but to do better next time.

Which leadership or management style should you use?

I don't know if you've been following the current 'Apprentice' series, but it's getting to the stage where, to quote one jaded competitor, "It's dog eat dog".

U is for what? Yes, upskilling really is a word - it's in the dictionary, so it must be!  It means 'to teach employees additional skills' and it makes all the sense in the world.

We are used to seeing vision statements for organisations - they articulate where the business wants to be in its marketplace or service sector. Clear vision statements help everyone in the organisation understand how their job contributes to the overall goals.

I've recently returned from an amazing trip to Africa, and while in Uganda had the opportunity to facilitate workshops for the 20 or so managers of Kampala Children's Centre and then for 91 of their staff. The result was that the various work groups came away buzzing with ideas of how to improve their planning, processes and outcomes.

Have you ever had a boss or teacher who believed that you could do well - if so, then you probably responded to that belief by doing your very best - better than you might have for the boss or teacher who didn't think much of your abilities.

Warren Bennis, pioneer of modern leadership studies, said that "Managers do things right. Leaders do the right things." Both are very necessary qualities in today's workplace.

Nothing inspires people more than a leader who is full of zeal. Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious and gets results.  When we are excited about what we do, others want to follow. A positive mindset does wonders in any workplace.